Best Facilitation Practices

• Carefully assess the needs of the members
• Probe sensitively into people’s feelings
• Create an open and trusting atmosphere
• Help people understand why they’re there
• View yourself as servant of the group’s needs
• Make members the center of attention
• Speak in simple and direct language
• Work hard to stay neutral
• Display energy and appropriate levels of assertiveness
• Champion ideas not personally favored
• Treat all participants as equals
• Stay flexible and ready to change direction if necessary
• Make notes that reflect what participants mean
• Listen intently to understand totally what is being said
• Periodically summarize a complex array of ideas so that they form a coherent summary
• Know how to use a wide range of discussion tools
• Make sure every session ends with clear steps for the next meeting
• Ensure that participants feel ownership for what has been achieved
• End on a positive and optimistic note

— Ingrid Bens, Facilitating with Ease! San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 2000.